The Inspired Word of God
We often hear Christian leaders state that the Bible is inspired. That’s so nice! How beautiful it is to say that the scriptures are inspiring! Oh, but wait! It is so much deeper than that. And frankly, that isn’t really what it means. Yes, the Bible is inspiring and let us certainly take note of its message of comfort, hope and joy. Let’s go deeper.
Let’s first focus on what the word, “inspired” means. According to the US Dictionary, “inspire” is “to give rise to” or simply “inhale” oxygen – to “breathe in.” Without life-giving oxygen, our bodies die instantly. “The word (inspired) was originally used of a divine or supernatural being, in the sense ‘impart a truth or idea to someone’.” (www.lexico.com) With this word-meaning in mind, we can turn to the scriptures and be assured they are indeed God-breathed, which enhances its pure holiness.
God-breathed
Inspired scripture is literally God-breathed. Furthermore, humanity is also God-breathed! This breath of God is literally what separates us from all other in His Creation. This should humble us with profound awe and yet give us profound hope. We are His in a very literal sense. All He asks is that we submit to Him as He knows all and He knows best and loves us deeply. He speaks to us through His holy Word and its messages. In fact, the inspired, God-breathed scriptures call Jesus Himself, the Word. That is a lesson for another day though.
“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7).
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).
The Greek word in the New Testament is “theopneustos” meaning God-breathed. There it is!
A New Meaning
If all scripture is indeed God-breathed, we can trust all 66 books of our Bible! If we trust God’s literal words, then we can trust Him. But I am human. Not only did God give us His very breath so that we are alive, He also gave us the gifts of emotion, feeling and free will. He gave us choices. This is a good thing but has consequences that should shake us to the core. Yes, I am human and I am grateful for the choices I can make for myself. The humbling part is if I make choices outside of God’s light and life-giving will and freedom, I am doomed because I cannot do this life on my own. This is where our emotions and feelings of depression, anger and evil desires can bury us – literally. We all have areas in our lives of shame and pain, etc. The list goes on. Sometimes, it feels utterly hopeless. Some even wish for or opt for death instead of this life.
Hope
Here’s where the hope lies. This life is difficult and full of pain, but hope allows us to endure until we are with Him in a place of no pain and perfection. People will often speak of “freedom in Christ.” I fear some will not understand this phrase. (I’m not sure people who use it fully understand. I don’t!) But here is what I know. The freedom is knowing He is with us if we accept that and repent of our sins because we ALL fall short of who He is! The freedom is also knowing this life as we know it WILL end and the kingdom of heaven lies beyond.
Rejecting our Creator, then, to me, is not an option, regardless of whether I understand Him or the things of this world. It is not based upon my own opinions and understandings. It is based solely upon His promises. Those promises of God, by the way, are recorded in His word. The freedom comes when I know He will forgive me regardless of what I’ve thought and done as long as I repent. And I must repent daily, indeed. I have a desire to please my Creator (even though I fall short daily).
As I said in an earlier blog post: Even when I’ve been in the deepest, darkest places in my life, I always knew He was there and somehow, someway, there was comfort. It would have been terrifying if I’d had to go through those seasons thinking He didn’t exist or rejected me somehow. That would have plunged me into complete darkness and hopelessness.
“To Whom Shall We Go?”
“And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’ After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life …’” (John 6:65-68).
Many of Jesus’s initial followers did not like or understand some of His teachings and chose to walk away and reject Him. But Simon Peter, one of the twelve disciples, chose to remain even though he did not always understand the teachings either. But he understood in that moment who Jesus was!
Our hope does not lie in our understanding. Our hope lies in understanding who He is and leaning into the very Creator of life. That’s it! It’s so simple, yet so profound. I pray that you find comfort in the Messiah and His inspired, God-breathed Word.
Tonya Noren
March 27, 2022